While the invite didn't specify that the event is to announce the next iPhone, September has been when Apple announces new phones in the past. Rumors indicate that Apple might release three new iPhone models: the aforementioned larger screen version, a cheaper version and a version with three rear cameras.

Editors' note, Aug. 25: This post was originally published on March 13, 2018, and will continue to be updated with news and rumors on the 2018 iPhone lineup.

iPhone XS might come in three models

Apple is expected to release a larger version of the iPhone XS — the iPhone XS Plus, perhaps — as well as a significantly less expensive version. It's worth noting that price hasn't been a major obstacle for the premium flagship so far. Though it's the priciest iPhone ever at $999, the iPhone X was the best-selling phone for the first three months of 2018, followed by the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Of course, a less-expensive version would almost certainly broaden its addressable market. Many months after the iPhone X's release, however, the phone has lost some of its initial sheen.

The rumor has gained more ground — the highest-end iPhone XS Plus model for 2018 could be the phone to get the three vertically stacked lenses, according to Forbes.

A conflicting report suggested we wouldn't see the three camera lenses until 2019, and that the combination could create a depth map that'd be used for AR, an area that Apple is pursuing aggressively.

Now Playing: Watch this: The iPhone X may be running out of time

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Rumor: That budget-friendly LCD iPhone might not ship until October

Apple's rumored plan is to launch three new iPhones this year. Two with OLED screens and one using an LCD screen. While it's assumed the two OLED models will ship in September, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty, we might not see the LCD iPhone until October.

"We currently see no delay in the ramp of Apple's upcoming flagship 5.8-inch or 6.5-inch OLED iPhones. However suspected issues with LED backlight leakage have caused a one-month delay in mass production of the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, although this is down from a six-week delay baked into the original production forecast, according to suppliers."

Those of us who want to save a few bucks on a 2018 iPhone may have to wait a bit longer before we take delivery.

Apple's invites are for an event on Wed. Sept. 12 at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus.

Apple

Sept. 12 is the date of the announcement

Apple sent out invites Thursday for an event on Sept. 12 at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California. The invitation had a gold circle that looks similar to its Apple Park campus and serves as another hint that there will be a gold version of the iPhone XS and XS Plus.

iPhone XS could be slower than Android phones

Qualcomm says it doesn't expect to supply modems for any upcoming iPhones. In an earnings call with analysts, Qualcomm's financial chief George Davis said, "We believe Apple intends to solely use our competitor's modems rather than our modems in its next iPhone release." And by "competitors," he means Intel.

That noted, there are some rich design opportunities with the two ones of an iPhone 11. And then there's the possibility of Apple doing away with numbers entirely — at least for the lower-end, non-X model — similar to the company's approach with its entry-level tablet, which is now just the "new iPad" every year.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo backed up this claim in early July when he predicted the following specs for the 2018 iPhones: a 5.8-inch OLED iPhone, a 6.5-inch OLED iPhone Plus and a 6.1-inch affordable LCD iPhone.

Kuo speculates that the company's 2018 iPhones will be based on the design of the today's full-screen flagship. According to Jusy Hong, an analyst at IHS Markit, all three new models (including the LCD one) could be expected to look similar to the iPhone X.

As reported by 9to5Mac.com, case maker Olixar has produced a prototype screen protector for a smaller iPhone with the slim bezels and notch found on the iPhone X. And this comes in the wake of purportedly leaked CAD drawings of a device called the iPhone SE2 published by TigerMobiles.com and Onleaks.

However, another report citing Apple's XCode developer software could suggest that the next iPhone SE would be more like an upgraded iPhone 7. Specs seen in this possible model would include the same A10 model in the current iPhone 7, a P3-gamut display and no support for Face ID or a notch.

A less expensive iPhone X seems like a no-brainer — but is there room for a bigger version in Apple's 2018 lineup?

Though we're less than two weeks from seeing the next iPhone (and we don't have any proof as to what its features will be), the rumor mill is already creating a compelling picture of what's to come. We'll continue to update this page with news and leaks as we begin our countdown to the 2018 Apple iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone X2, iPhone 11 or whatever the next generation may be called.

Also, check out our weekly iPhone news report to see all the latest iPhone news.

The Apple Pencil.

James Martin

Rumor: iPhone support for the Apple Pencil or iPen

And OLED iPhone due out in 2018 will support an "iPen" device, according to investment firm Rosenblatt Securities. Of course, this rumor — an iPhone that supports the Apple Pencil — has been around since the stylus first debuted in 2015. And yet the new 2018 iPad's addition of Apple Pencil functionality gives this old chestnut some new life.

Long-shot rumor: Virtual fingerprint scanner

While Face ID has largely mitigated the need for a fingerprint scanner, the buzz around Touch ID embedded in the display — a trusty pillar of the rumor cycle since the run-up to the iPhone 8 — persists. And for good reason: We've seen the technology implemented. It's called Clear ID and it's featured in the Vivo X20 Plus UD that went on sale in China in January. But since reverting to any sort of fingerprint sensor would be an "admission" that Face ID isn't the future, we think its return is a real long shot.

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